Recap: Nice, Lens draw in Haise’s return to Stade Bollaert-Delelis

RC Lens and OGC Nice played to a scoreless draw on Saturday at Stade Bollaert-Delelis as the two teams are early contenders for the European competition spots for next season.

The contest also marked the return of Franck Haise to his former club as the 53-year-old managed Lens for five years and almost won Ligue 1 during the 2022-23 season, finishing second place (84 points) and one point behind Paris Saint-Germain (85 points).

Despite failing to win the league, Haise had Les Sang et Or playing in the UEFA Champions League last season. Following the 2023-24 campaign, Haise left Lens after half a decade with the club to begin a new chapter with Nice.

In the contest, Nice faced an onslaught of shots in the first 45 minutes, as the home side recorded 15 total shots. Even though Haise and his team conceded many shots to the opposition, Lens couldn't find the back of the net. The visitors could only manage five shots, and the matchup went into halftime 0-0.

After a scoreless first half, Les Aiglons turned the tables on the home side, generating ten shots in total while Lens had seven. Nice also had an advantage in the final minutes of the match following the second yellow card given to Anass Zaroury in the 84th minute, but the away side couldn't score despite the advantage.

The two standout players in the scoreless draw were the goalkeepers. Lens' Brice Samba recorded four saves and Marcin Bułka registered six saves as they secured a clean sheet in this match.

Nice will look to find their scoring boots on Thursday when they travel to the Stadio Olimpico to face Lazio on Matchday 2 of the UEFA Europa League. The French side drew 1-1 against Real Sociedad on Matchday 1, so a victory would be ideal.

On the other side, Lens will attempt to return to the winning column after four straight draws when they travel to Stade de la Meinau to face RC Strasbourg. The last win for Will Still and his team came on August 25 with a 2-0 victory over Brest, so they'll be looking to break this stretch.

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